[COPYRIGHT] THE Rangers of Razorback: A Narrative of Botany Bay.

Cromwell Argus, Volume XXVIII, Issue 1435, 27 October 1896, Page 7

[COPYRIGHT] THE Rangers of Razorback: A Narrative of Botany Bay.

>-*—4 Remarkable Adventures of the Early Days. Compiled from State Docximents.

' (IJV T WENTY PA 11TS.) PART Y. For more than ten hours’ district Constable Denny remained in that painful and perilous position. During the whole time no attempt was made on him as those inside were kept fully employed watching the ambushed attackers who occasionally fired at the hut. Settler Butler quickly recognised the danger which threatened Denny and he took the measures which assisted to relieve the chief. During this period no injury was inflicted by either side. As dusk approached, the district constable instinctively felt that a crisis was at hand. Possibly the outlaw’s would not make any serious attempt to prevent him getting away, though it was probable they would. He w’ould have to be prepared for eventualities. If it had been possible for Denny to have communicated with his comrades, he would have urged them to rush the hut under cover of darkness, but he was pot near enough to them to do so. Under the circumstances all he could do w r as“to try and rejoin them. With all his senses keenly on the alert, Denny waited and anxiously watched the night descend like a pall on the vicinity. With a pistol in each hand the w’atcher crouched against the door and listened—now that his eyes were of no use—for the least sound that might indicate danger. ’ It was not long in coming. A few minutes before eight o’clock a slight grating noise fell upon his strained ears and like a flash of lightning his resolution was taken. Springing into an erect position he turned and rushed away towards the scrub, but as he did so, tw r o shots were fired at him. In the darkness, accuracy of aim was out of the question and it was more by chance than skill that one of the bullets went so close to Denny’s head as to almost take off his right ear. He carried the mark to the grave and it was a grim reminder of Doughboy Hollow, His followers realised what was happening, but they were powerless to aid, and it was with feelings of relief they found a few moments later that the leader had escaped from his awkward position. The wound he received though painful, was slight and it only made Denny more determined to capture the gang of outlaws. As soon as possible, word was passed around for the attackers to assemble at the spot where the horses had been secured, and after detailing six of the men on duty at the edge of the scrub, the chief ordered a fire to be lighted. This was perfectly safe under the circumstances, and it was necessary to get food prepared as no one had eaten anything since morning. In half an hour this work was done and the leader made known his plans for the future. “ We must take the place by storm, men. There is no use hanging round this spot for perhaps a week or two until they are starved out. If you had backed me up properly to-day, the murderous wretches would now be an our hands. Don’t make any mistake this time. Let us force the door and at the same time Butler, Manson, Ted and Jones can attack the south side with axes and make a breach. If they don’t succeed it Avill at least cause a diversion and disturb the arrangements of those within,” said Denny. “ It’s all very well to say we did not back you up this morning chief” spoke Butler, “but there is much to be said on the other side. Some of us would have gone down if we had not taken quickly to the logs. The fact is we weren’t prepared for such a defence. These fellows must have seen us before we reached the clearing.” “ Most likely they did. Tom Brake has gone under, and don’t forget that. We have him as well as Day to avenge now. Come on, the sooner the job is over the better. Let our watchward be ‘ Day and Brake ’. Shoot anyone who cannot give that in the dark, if you are .in doubt.” As Denny concluded, he led the way back to the edge of the clearing where the six men on guard were met. They had not seen anything to excite suspicion, but that was not to be wondered at, for the night was intensely dark. In a few words Denny explained to them their intentions and taking three of the guard, left the others to keep watch, after giving them the password. This time the advance was made by stealth, as a rush would have been both impossible and unprofitable and more calculated to produce mischief to the attackers than benefit. In a few minutes the advanced portion of the party had reached within a dozen yards of the hut, >vhich loomed before them. So« far the outlaws had shown no sign they were aware of the night attack. As usual district Constable Denny was the first to reach the door and ne waited for the five others he had selected to come up. Two of them carried heavy hatchets and, as the Jast man arrived, the sound of blows

. -in the opposite side of the structure told them that Butler and his com” ' rades were at work. The act which Denny was about to do, probably meant death for one or more of the attackers before the inmates could be overpowered and each realised it. In a hoarse whisper which sounded strangely under the circumstances, the leader gave the signal to begin the onslaught. Himself and one of the settlers dashed against the door, which yielded so easily that both were precipitated within into the cavernous darkness. For an instant the outside men hesitated to enter what they regarded as a house of death. The strange silence which followed the forced entrance did more to awe and deter them than resistance would. Naturally they expected a fusillade from the outlaws and its absence was remarkable. The thundering blows struck by Butler and his mates might be the reason, though that was improbable. It was only for an instant they hesitated, but in that brief time Denny had regained his feet and lighted a piece of tow, which he threw into the middle of the chamber. It blazed furiously and quickly illuminated the interior. With presented weapons, the eyes of the attackers swept round in search of the foe, but an exclamation more of relief than disappointment burst from them. The place was empty! All doubt was soon dispelled as the men filed into the hut and made a search. The appearance of the place showed that its inmates must have made a hasty departure, as many articles lay on the floor as if bundles had been opened and a portion of them removed. In fact nothing of any use was to be seen, and it was clear the convicts decided that flight was safer than remaining at bay in the hut. Some of the party were in their hearts glad that such was the case but not so Denny. That fire-eater could not conceal his chagrin at the escape of his anticipated prisoners. After making such a venture and travelling so far, the result was worse than barren. Indeed the outlaws had been practically victorious, as one of the attackers had been killed and another wounded whilst they had suffered no physical injury. This thought occurred to Denny and after relieving himself by the utterance of a few choice oaths he ordered one of them to set fire to the hut. “Wouldn’t it be safer for us to remain here to-night. These scoundrels are lurking about the locality and may try to pick a few of us off during the night. If we light a fire there can be no safety outside,” remonstrated Butler. The. advice was supported by some of the others and Denny saw it was sound when he took the trouble to reflect. Word was sent to the men outside to come over and then the horses were brought into the clearing and secured. Absolutely nothing could be done in the darkness and Denny flesolved to make the best of it until morning. A large fire was made in the capacious chimney and soon silence and peace settled down on the scene which so recently had been one of strife and turmoil. With the exception of Butler and a constable named Wade who were taking the first watch, all the men were lying on the floor sleeping the sleep of the weary. It was shortly after eleven o’clock when Butler, who was feeling very drowsy, elected to go out in the fresh air to recover wakefulness. The hut had been barricaded and the watch was kept inside, a method which showed a deplorable lack of bushman’s skill. The clouds which had obscured the sky during the earlier portion of the night, making it so intensely dark, had cleared away and the stars showed out, dimly lighting up the neighbourhood. The door was unbarred, and with musket in hand Butler stepped outside in the cold air. The chimney partly obscured his view tothe south and the opening of the door allowed a stream of light to pour out on the clearing. The settler was standing in this way glancing around, until his eyes turned to the spot where the body of Brake was lying and there they rested. The slain settler had not been removed to the hut but remained where the man had fallen. It was carefully wrapped up and it was the intention of the party now to bury it in Doughboy Hollow, Had the outlaws been captured or killed it would have been taken back to the nearest white settlement but, as Denny decided further to continue the pursuit, such a course was not practicable. It was while looking in this direction, and perhaps thinking of the dead man, that the attention of Butler was attracted by a trifling circumstance. From the two loopholes which were in the eastern wall, a couple of streaks of light made a bright but narrow path, one of them merging into the larger brightness coming through the door. Suddenly one of these narrow streaks disappeared, clearly showing that an obstacle must have been placed against the loophole through which it came. It was likely Wade or one of the men inside might have leant against the aperture and that idea occurred to Butler. The next moment a slight suspicion, bred from his surroundings, darted through his mind and he stepped forward a couple of paces to get a view around the chimney. Before he could do so, he came face to face with a man, whom he instantly recognised as Davis the outlaw, who Avas turning the chimney in the opposite direction. The Jew was evidently prepared for a surprise, for quick as Butler was, he could not avoid the lightninglike attack of the convict. There was neither time nor opportunity to

use the firearms, but the wild c!*y of alarm-which Butler uttered was cut short by a stunning blow from the butt-end of the absconder’s pistol. When the settler fell Davis saw his peril and instantly turned and fled. As Wade rushed out, followed by some of the awakened men, he caught a glimpse of two men running away and fired at them, apparently without effect. The next moment they had reached the scrub on the west side. All the men w’ere now about and the unconscious form of Butler having been taken inside, the door r of the hut was again secured and each began to wonder at the audacity of the convicts in making an attack in such a daring manner. One of the men ventured to remark that they must have thought the hut was unoccupied, but Denny cut him short. “ I see it all now, when almost too late. These loopholes betrayed us, and might have led to tragic consequences. The murdering hounds conceived the idea of killing some of us through the apertures. They could creep up in the darkness undetected and pick three or four off easily in here. Barricade the ‘ loops ’ and there will be no need to keep guard outside. At any rate, they will not trouble us again and this attack may give us a clue to their whereabouts. How is Butler, Joe ?” he concluded. It was found that the settler was not seriously injured, as a thick fur cap had broken the force of the blow very greatly. By daylight he had recovered sufficiently to be able to accompany the party 'in its further pursuit. Before doing that, Denny decided to destroy the hut, and while the party are engaged doing so, it will be as well to follow the fortunes of Davis and his comrades for a brief period. After District Constable Denny made his escape from the doorway after dusk, Davis quickly formed his plans. Fie was shrewd enough to perceive that the leader of the attacking party was not the man to give up pursuit at the first repulse. The officer's character for stubbornness Avas well-known in the district. “We must get away from here, men, as quickly as we can. If not, they may try to starve us out. Our food is about done now, and we must either make a break of it, or they will have the advantage,” spoke the chief. “What will we gain by it?” asked Shea. “ Safety of course. If Denny had gone under it would have been alright, but he is sure to stick to us. The best thing is to go on the range to our stronghold. There we can have a chance to hunt for food. Here we can do nothing,” replied Davis, The advice was good, and after a short’ general discussion it was pactically adopted. The men at once began to pack up what articles they most required and half-an-hour after the attacking party had withdrawn, they were ready for the road. “ Fladn’t we better wait at the foot of the range and see if they will go back, before running away in this manner ?” asked Shea as they were about to leave. “If they go away we can shift everything in the morning,” he added. “ Yes we may keep watch close by and see what they will do. At the same time we must be careful of a surprise and get a little way along the range. Are your arms ready ? There is no time to be lost,” responded the leader as he opened the door cautiously and peered out in the inky darkness. Receiving an affirmative reply, he stepped through the doorway with his musket ready for instant use and was closely followed by the others. Everything was quiet and on passing round the chimney the outlaws went to the south side of the hut and into the scrub at the base of the range. Proceeding along it toward the west, they took up a position not more than a hundred feet on the rise of the hill and from which they had a full view of their recent habitation. There a halt was called to await possible developments. If necessary the convicts decided to remain at the place until daylight, as the night was genial and there was little or no danger of discovery. In the darkness moreover, it would be both difficult and dangerous to make the steep ascent to the natural stronghold they intended making their new location. They were not destined to carry out so peaceful a programme, however. About two hours after they halted, a slight ex-, clamation from Lewis, who was standing and keeping watch in the direction of the hollow, attracted their attention. The other three men were reclining on the sward and springing to their feet they saw a flickering gleam of light coming from the spot where stood the hut. Instantly they realised what it meant. Someone, no doubt their foes, were in the structure and the western loophole betrayed their presence. “ Confounded fools,” muttered Davis. “ They might have blocked up the ‘loops’ before having a light.” For nearly a minute the outlaws stood in silence, watching the fitful gleams which flickered in a weird over the lonely hollow. The sight appeared to enrage the bushrangers and after a brief pause Shea said, “I’d like to pot one of those fellows, Aif. Couldn’t we make an attempt on them ?” “Yes Ave might,” replied Davis Avith some hesitation, “ but it will be risky. 1 expect there will be a strong guard round the place and avc might just drop into their hands. Denny is cunning and perhaps he is only laying a trap for us. Still the chance is almost too good to be throAvn aAvay and avc will to take Avorse risks mayhap before avc get out of this accursed country and into a land of freedom.”